A Florida resident recently had an unusual encounter with a black bear that wandered into her backyard, indulging in a drink and rummaging through her trash.
The bear entered through an unlocked gate, taking advantage of the situation at the home of Celine Emerson in Naples. She shared her surprise during an interview with a local news station, recalling the moment she noticed her refrigerator was ajar. “I turned around and saw the refrigerator was open, and I yelled at my husband, ‘Can you check the cameras?’” Emerson explained.
Realizing that they had an unexpected guest, she spotted the bear, which she approximated at about 6 feet tall. “It was just crazy, it was so unusual to see it, like, so close to us,” she remarked, expressing a bit of fear mixed with amazement upon seeing the large animal.
The bear spent about half an hour snacking on trash in the front yard before helping itself to an alcoholic beverage from her outdoor fridge. “I figured he was thirsty,” Emerson jokingly commented.
After the bear had left, Emerson discovered a large paw print left on her counter. This encounter has prompted her to reconsider her habit of leaving the gate open, especially with her granddaughter growing up. “We don’t close it when we leave or come and go at nighttime,” she admitted. “So maybe that, as our granddaughter gets older, we’re going to be a little more cautious with things like that.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, black bears tend to eat more in the fall to gain weight for winter hibernation, which can increase the chances of them venturing into residential areas. Florida is home to an estimated 4,000 black bears scattered across various regions.
